Tools

Middle-age-crazy in Linklaterland. The third entry in Richard Linklater’s Before series finds Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), the fly-by lovers from Before Sunrise and Before Sunrise, now married with children, basking in an idyllic writers’ retreat in Greece, and bored out of their skulls. So they thrash out their issues in the same talkative style Linklater borrowed from director Eric Rohmer. Takes a while to get rolling, but when Hawke and especially Delpy heat up in the third act they actually seem to mature before our eyes. We really want to believe these two people love each other — and that their romance has ripened, from the cute phase to one of hard work and perseverance for the long haul. The dialogue, worked out by the two actors and director Linklater, is a definite plus. (108 min.)
ByKelly Vance